StudentsReview :: The State University of New York Binghamton - Extra Detail about the Comment
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The State University of New York Binghamton

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityF Faculty AccessibilityD-
Useful SchoolworkC- Excess CompetitionD+
Academic SuccessF Creativity/ InnovationF
Individual ValueF University Resource UseC
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyD+ FriendlinessD
Campus MaintenanceC- Social LifeF
Surrounding CityF Extra CurricularsF
SafetyB
Describes the student body as:
Broken Spirit, Closeminded

Describes the faculty as:
Arrogant, Condescending, Unhelpful, Self Absorbed

Male
Bright
Lowest Rating
Educational Quality
F
Highest Rating
Safety
B
He cares more about Extra Curriculars than the average student.
Date: Feb 04 2011
Major: Undecided (This Major's Salary over time)
Binghamton is definitely not for everyone and it is probably one of the worst places to be an undecided student. The admissions process separates people from the very beginning and partitions them into schools (harpur, decker, watson, SOM etc.). Students remain in those schools and are barred from taking classes in other departments and exploring a multitude of career options. It is also considered difficult to transfer between the individual schools (especially SOM). The vast majority of the school is either pre-med, engineering or accounting (from my experience). Most students view the liberal arts (English, history, philosophy etc.) as a waste of time and just a hump to cross over on their way towards getting their degree and making money. The administration treats the liberal arts just as dismissively and continues to cut seats out of important classes for liberal arts majors. In short, from my perspective, this school feels like an industrial degree factory. For most students, the diploma at the end is just a check in the box on the way towards getting a job. Sure, everyone wants to make some money but a broad college education can open up a variety of pathways to a comfortable living beyond the linear ones that people are most familiar with. Say for example a biology major (a very common major at Bing)is unable to get into a med school. If they had just chosen biology for the sake of med school admissions they might be stuck with a degree that they do not have much passion for and struggle to do something with. Contrast this with someone who majored in English because they really enjoyed it. The English major can make a good living with great benefits as a high school teacher or become a journalist, novelist or lawyer etc. The passionate English major will ultimately be happier with their degree choice than the biology major who is stuck with a degree in a subject that they really did not enjoy much. However, Binghamton students and faculty encourage the latter path as they promote early specialization, forced pathways and the pursuit of wealth over taking the time to find ones own path and purpose in life. If you are a high performing student who just wants to make money then this school might be a good fit for you. However, if you want college to be an enriching, mind opening and possibly life changing experience, then you might want to look elsewhere. This school's atmosphere is stifling and limiting, to say the least. However, the school does offer challenging classes and it can definitely be good preparation for a specific set of careers. I would recommend that students who choose to attend Bing have a specific career plan and are very sure of what they want to do. Binghamton is not the ideal place for the indecisive. It is a budget bin school for one-track students who don't mind marginalizing their overall education in the pursuit of money.
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The State University of New York Binghamton
The State University of New York Binghamton
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